By Tom Frary
Burdened with a five-pound penalty for his success in last year's G3 Autumn S. at Newmarket, Best Solution made light work of this task to state concrete Derby claims for Godolphin. Already well-travelled having been to Turkey as a juvenile and to Meydan this winter, the bay has proven steadily progressive since breaking his maiden over six furlongs at Goodwood last July. Blowing the start when third in Veliefendi's six-furlong International Trakya Trophy behind the local favourite Waneta (Tur) (Mountain Cat) and his stablemate Top Score (GB) (Hard Spun) who ran so well in the 2000 Guineas last Saturday, Best Solution came back to Britain to be fourth in the G3 Tattersall S. over seven furlongs at Newmarket before springing a 12-1 surprise in the Autumn on his first try at a mile. Upped again in trip to 10 furlongs when second in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud in late October, he was fourth in the seven-furlong UAE 2000 Guineas Trial trying the dirt at Meydan Jan. 26 and eighth in the G2 UAE 2000 Guineas Feb. 11.
Largely overlooked by the punters partly as a result of his unorthodox path to this time-honoured prep and due to the buzz created by Ballydoyle's ultimately disappointing Sir John Lavery (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Best Solution was typically professional from the outset and tracked the generous tempo in third. Allowed to stride to the front passing the three-furlong marker, he surged clear in a matter of strides and only needed to be kept up to his work to string the field out. “It was a good gallop and a good test and he handled the track well,” rider Pat Cosgrave commented. “He wouldn't want the ground to be lightning-fast, but I can't fault him. He stays well and why not the Derby? I like the way he has a good attitude, tries hard and he'd handle something like Epsom pretty well.” Saeed bin Suroor added, “He didn't handle the dirt–he ran on it twice and we came back straight from Dubai as we did not want to run him in the UAE Derby. He is in the English and Irish Derbys and we will have to talk to Sheikh Mohammed and he will make the decision. He is improving all the time and I'm sure he will improve from this race too. I think the ground won't make any difference to where he goes. More than likely he will be running in the [June 3] English Derby.”
John Gosden was taking a lot of positives from the performance of the slow-starting Glencadam Glory, who ousted stablemate Tartini to be second. “They have both run well. Tartini goes to the [June 23 G2 Queen's] Vase at Ascot. Mr Hillman bought Glencadam Glory and he would like to run him in the big one, just if the trainer can get him to leave the gate with the others, rather than a number of lengths behind. Last time it was 20 lengths at Sandown, so we are improving. He is learning. The winner has group form.” Ryan Moore said of Sir John Lavery, who was laboured in the straight, “He was only just ready and he got a bit tired. I wouldn't give up on him just yet.”
If successful on the first Saturday in June, Best Solution will be the second Derby hero to emerge from the first three generations of his family after Workforce (GB), who also captured the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. The G3 Noblesse S. runner-up Kushnarenkovo is also the dam of the G2 Prix Hocquart and G3 Sandown Classic Trial runner-up Cape Clear Island (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), while the third dam Eva Luna is the G3 Park Hill S.-winning European highweight who went on to produce the G1 St Leger hero Brian Boru (GB) and the MGSW and GI Breeders' Cup Turf runner-up Sea Moon (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}). Her unraced daughter Soviet Moon (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) was responsible for Workforce, who now stands at Knockhouse Stud. The dam also has a 2-year-old colt by Epaulette (Aus) named Desert Mountain (Ire).
BETFRED DERBY TRIAL S.-Listed, £60,000, LIN, 5-13, 3yo, c/g, 11f 133yT, 2:31.84, gd.
1–BEST SOLUTION (IRE), 131, c, 3, by Kodiac (GB)
1st Dam: Al Andalyya, by Kingmambo
2nd Dam: Kushnarenkovo (GB), by Sadler's Wells
3rd Dam: Eva Luna, by Alleged
(32,000gns Wlg '14 TATFOA; 90,000gns Ylg '15 TAOCT). O-Godolphin; B-Cecil & Martin McCracken (IRE); T-Saeed bin Suroor; J-Pat Cosgrave. £34,026. Lifetime Record: GSW-Eng, G1SP-Fr & SP-Tur, 9-3-1-2, $214,847.
2–Glencadam Glory (GB), 126, c, 3, Nathaniel (Ire)–Lady Grace (Ire), by Orpen. (90,000gns Ylg '15 TATOCT). O-Angus Dundee Distillers Plc. £12,900.
3–Tartini, 126, c, 3, Giant's Causeway–Vignette, by Diesis (GB). O-George Strawbridge. £6,456.[bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred”]Margins: 3 1/4, 3, HF. Odds: 7.00, 16.00, 5.00.
Also Ran: Frankuus (Ire), Apex King (Ire), Sir John Lavery (Ire), Sofia's Rock (Fr). DNF: Zamfir (GB). Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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